Key Takeaways
- • The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research publishes a list of 100 universities whose graduates are eligible for the Abu Dhabi Golden Visa, a list that eFinancialCareers says effectively serves as a ranking for finance recruitment in the emirate.
- • To qualify for the Golden Visa as a graduate, applicants need a bachelor's degree obtained within the last two years, a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or equivalent, and a degree from a university on the government list.
- • The list is largely copied from QS's 2022 rankings, but with Duke University, TU Munich and Paris-Saclay removed and with apparent errors, including the double-counting of Warwick and Washington, leaving 98 unique institutions.
- • The list contains no universities from the Middle East, India or Africa, and more than half of its entries come from the USA (27), the UK (17) and Australia (7).
- • Graduates of institutions not on the list can still find work in Abu Dhabi, as Brevan Howard's office there has grown to 150 people and Rokos Capital Management secured a full licence in the emirate this year.
Summary
The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research publishes a list of universities whose graduates are eligible for the Abu Dhabi Golden Visa, a self-sponsored residency scheme that allows qualifying individuals to live in the UAE. According to eFinancialCareers, this list may be the most relevant university ranking for finance careers in Abu Dhabi, displacing conventional references such as UK target and semi-target school lists.
To qualify through the graduate route, an individual must have completed a bachelor's degree within the previous two years, hold a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or its equivalent, and have attended one of the 100 listed universities. The publication notes that the list contains an apparent error: the University of Warwick (UK) and the University of Washington (US) are each counted twice, meaning there are effectively 98 distinct institutions. It is unclear whether this duplication was deliberate.
eFinancialCareers reports that the list closely mirrors QS's 2022 world rankings, with several changes. Duke University, TU Munich and Paris-Saclay were removed, and the publication says it is unclear why. The resulting selection includes some anomalies. Sheffield, Leeds and Southampton appear, while Nottingham, Bath and Exeter, which are semi-target schools for UK finance recruitment, do not. In the US, every Ivy League institution is included except Dartmouth, while Bocconi, St Gallen and HEC, all considered top-tier in Europe, are absent. The list has no universities from the Middle East, India or Africa. The USA accounts for 27 entries, the UK for 17 and Australia for 7.
The article stresses that attending an unlisted university does not preclude a career in Abu Dhabi. It cites Brevan Howard, which has built its Abu Dhabi office to 150 people, and Rokos Capital Management, which secured a full licence in the emirate this year, as examples. eFinancialCareers says that, as far as it knows, neither firm bases its campus recruitment on the QS-derived list.
To qualify through the graduate route, an individual must have completed a bachelor's degree within the previous two years, hold a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or its equivalent, and have attended one of the 100 listed universities. The publication notes that the list contains an apparent error: the University of Warwick (UK) and the University of Washington (US) are each counted twice, meaning there are effectively 98 distinct institutions. It is unclear whether this duplication was deliberate.
eFinancialCareers reports that the list closely mirrors QS's 2022 world rankings, with several changes. Duke University, TU Munich and Paris-Saclay were removed, and the publication says it is unclear why. The resulting selection includes some anomalies. Sheffield, Leeds and Southampton appear, while Nottingham, Bath and Exeter, which are semi-target schools for UK finance recruitment, do not. In the US, every Ivy League institution is included except Dartmouth, while Bocconi, St Gallen and HEC, all considered top-tier in Europe, are absent. The list has no universities from the Middle East, India or Africa. The USA accounts for 27 entries, the UK for 17 and Australia for 7.
The article stresses that attending an unlisted university does not preclude a career in Abu Dhabi. It cites Brevan Howard, which has built its Abu Dhabi office to 150 people, and Rokos Capital Management, which secured a full licence in the emirate this year, as examples. eFinancialCareers says that, as far as it knows, neither firm bases its campus recruitment on the QS-derived list.
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